Wake Board Votes to Fund Two New Greenways in Apex

Greenway connections linking the Town of Apex to the American Tobacco Trail and the Town of Holly Springs are coming soon, thanks to a vote by the Wake County Board of Commissioners yesterday.

The board voted unanimously to provide a total of $1.69 million to help fund portions of the Apex West Greenway and Middle Creek Greenway. Construction will begin on both in 2022.

“Wake County has one of the best greenway systems in the country, and this partnership with the Town of Apex just takes that to the next level,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Sig Hutchinson. “Greenways benefit our residents in so many ways – from improving water and air quality to providing amazing recreational opportunities.”

In 2018, voters approved a $120 million Parks, Greenways, Recreation and Open Space bond. One goal of the bond was to continue the county’s efforts toward helping local municipalities tie into the countywide greenway system.

In 2019, staff invited municipalities that had greenway trail projects ready to construct to apply for funding. Five municipalities responded with a total of eight projects – two of which commissioners moved forward with yesterday.

Apex West Greenway
The first project will help complete the 6.5-mile Apex West/Beaver Creek Greenway corridor from downtown Apex to the American Tobacco Trail.

Currently, the Apex West/Beaver Creek Greenway is 3.31 miles of sidewalk, side path or greenway trail. With an additional 1.5 miles under construction now, there’s just one mile to go. Commissioners agreed to put $150,000 toward this project, which will close that gap and provide a seamless connection to the portion of the American Tobacco Trail managed by the county. The total cost is estimated at $305,000.

When finished, the greenway corridor will provide connections via the greenway, side paths and sidewalks to commercial and office centers, parks, neighborhoods and schools.

Middle Creek Greenway
The second project is a 1-mile section of the Middle Creek Greenway, a 4.5-mile trail made up of 10-foot-wide asphalt, concrete and boardwalk greenway trails and a combination of sidewalk and side paths. When complete, it will link office and industrial properties, schools, retail centers, places of worship and residential neighborhoods.

The Middle Creek Greenway is part of the larger Middle Creek Corridor, a regional bike and pedestrian system linking residents from Apex, Holly Springs and unincorporated Wake County.

The total cost of the new 1-mile section is estimated at $3,139,545, with Wake County funding $1,544,686 of construction costs.

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